Northamptonshire Lose Bopara and Weatherall for T20 Blast Knockout Stages
Northamptonshire’s T20 Blast campaign has suffered a double blow, with experienced all-rounder Ravi Bopara and promising young seamer Raphy Weatherall both ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Bopara, the fifth-highest run-scorer in Blast history and a winner with Essex in 2019, sustained a finger injury while playing for the Miami Lions in the inaugural Max60 tournament, a privately-owned T10 league held in the Cayman Islands last week. The 38-year-old has undergone surgery and will require three weeks of recovery time, forcing him to miss Northamptonshire’s quarter-final clash against Somerset at Wantage Road on September 5.
“Teenage sensation” Raphy Weatherall, who impressed with 11 wickets in the group stages, has also been sidelined for the rest of the season. The 19-year-old has been diagnosed with a lower-back stress fracture, a common injury among young fast bowlers. Weatherall’s absence is a significant setback for Northamptonshire, who were hoping to build on their strong group-stage performance and challenge for the title.
Despite these key losses, Northamptonshire remain confident of progressing in the T20 Blast. They finished second in the North Group, securing a home quarter-final, and will be looking to their other experienced campaigners, such as David Willey and Josh Cobb, to step up in the absence of Bopara and Weatherall.
🔗 Source